A conventional casket has a casket shell adapted to contain the deceased, and one or two lids or caps pivotally attached to the shell. Each side wall (and sometimes each end wall) of the casket shell has a number of arms attached thereto and spaced along the length thereof, the free ends of which are attached to an elongated handle bar for carrying the casket.
The upper end of each arm is pivotally attached to a clevis, which clevis is attached to the side wall of the casket shell via a fastener such as a bolt and nut. Decorative hardware, often referred to as an “ear” or “escutcheon”, or a “lug” or “plate”, is attached to the casket shell wall to conceal the connection of the arm to the wall. As used herein, the term “ear” shall be deemed to generically embrace “ear”, “escutcheon”, “lug”, and “plate”. Such decorative “hardware” was originally and for many years has been fabricated of metal. With the advent of plastics technology in more recent years, decorative “hardware” may just as likely be fabricated of plastic as metal. As used herein, the term “hardware” shall be deemed to generically embrace the above mentioned decorative structures, whether fabricated of metal or plastic. It is also known to attach decorative ornaments to the corners of the casket shell. As used herein, the term “hardware” shall also be deemed to generically embrace such ornaments, regardless of the material of manufacture.
Various structures have been proposed over the years for quickly and securely attaching ears and corner ornaments to the casket shell walls. Nevertheless, there remains room for improvement.